Knitting-machine.



c. H. USHER.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 8, I915.

Patented M213 2, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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jihrzzgyz c. H. USHER.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 8, 1915.

LWLM3. Patent-ed May 2,1916.

fiwzeniow zzzb wz CHARLES H. USHER, OF CHICOPEE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO LAMB KNIT- TING MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICOPEE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

KNITTING-MACHINE.

menses.

Application filed. March 8, 1915.

To all whom it may concern. 7 I

Be it known that I, CHARLns H. USHER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Chicopee Falls, county of Hampden, and State of Massachusetts, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved knitting machine operated by hand or power. The type of machine generally is one in which the knitting needles are placed in a straight row and are operable by and with other mechanism, to knit flat, tubular and ribbed webs of various shapes, in other words to knit and fashion desired articles as sweaters, gloves, underclothes, socks, mittens, etc. This type of machine is generally known as the Lamb machine.

One object of the invention is to provide in such a machine an improved arrangement of the reciprocable carriage and frame and the manner of supporting or mounting the carriage with respect to the rest of the machine and particularly in such a way that the center of the frame is opened up or exposed at all times to allow the needles to be more easily replaced or manipulated, and otherwise to allow ready access to the vital parts of the machine either in its operation or repair.

A more specific object is to provide such a machine with a frame constructed to extend beyond each end of the needle bed in combination with a carriage constructed to be guided and supported at its ends in said frame extensions, whereby the wide sup ports .thus furnished permit a steady and even reciprocation of the carriage and allows that part of the carriage carrying the yarn guide, latch opener, and looks (assembly of needle operating cams and associated adjusting and holding devices) to span the needle bed over only that particular part thereof which is necessary for the cams to operate the needles while the other parts are left freely exposed so far as the carriage is concerned so that the needles may be manipulated to fashion the knitted web or the parts repaired.

Another object is to provide a yarn carrier in combination with an adjustable connection with the friction block arranged to operate with the suspended carriage mount- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, thin.

Serial no. 12,911.

ed in the open frame or brackets at each end of the needle bed.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide an improved needle-holder (device for moving and holding the needle in and out of operative position) and manner of connecting it in the needle bed.

The objects of the invention and the parts and combinations embodying it will be defined more particularly in the annexed claims. However, one preferred embodiment of the invention will be specifically described for illustrative purposes.

Before beginning the detailed description it should be particularly noted that knitting machines have heretofore been used which will knit the same webs or fabrics fashioned by placing certain of the needles into and out of operable position and no claim isjmade to the machine as capable of producing a different or better product than machines heretofore in use except in so far as the improved parts, arrangement, and general improvement in mechanical structure enables the product to be improved in quality and increased in quantity. With this fact emphasized the specific machine shown in the accompanying drawings will be described in detail.

Figure 1 is a general perspective view of plan view of the needle holder tension spring; Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the plate to which the needle holder springs are attached, Fig. 7 is a detail view of a part of the carriage with the attached latch opener (for the needles), the yarn guide, and the adjustable connecting rod and friction block for positioning the yarn guide with relation to the latch opener showing also a part of the frame in which the friction block is mounted; Fig. 8 is a perspective viewof the adjustablestop carried by the carriage forming a bearing for the connecting rod; Fig. 9 is a perspective view partly in section of the friction block for the connecting rod mounted in its way provided therefor in the frame.

Referring to Fig. 2, a needle bed or needle frame 51 is provided with various parts to be described thereonand arranged so that its two upper sides are inclined toward each other, their upper edges being separated far enough to allow the fabric produced to pass down between them. Each ofthe inclined sides of the needle bed and associated parts are arranged in the same manner and with the same kind and arrangement of 'parts so that a description of the parts asso ciated with one side will suflice for both. Mounted longitudinally along the upper edge of the inclined side (referring to the right handside in Fig. 2) is ajack 9 held in place by means of a gib 8 extending longitudinally in'the needle bed and having slots therein (not shown) engaging pins on the under side of the jack 9. This gib 8 may be moved longitudinally by means of the hook 38 extending from the end thereof (Fig. 1), tomove the jack (by means of the slots and pins mentioned) from the position shown in Fig. 2 downwardly to open the throat or space between the upper ends of the two jacks 9. The specific mechanism for this operation is not shown in detail as it is well known in theart.

The needle plate 10 is shown in perspective in Fig. 4 and is mounted with its upper end resting on the upper surface of the jack and its lower end resting on the needle bed. "In this needleplate are pro vided straight rows of needle slots 16, the shape of. which slot is best shown in Fig. 2. One slot is provided for each needle carried by the needle plate. The manner in which the needles are carried and operated is indicated in Fig. 2. A needle holder 4 (used to support the needle in its reciprocations and carry it from operative to inoperative posinon), shown separated from the rest of the i machine in Fig. 3,is provided with a lug at one end thereof against which the end of the needle comes to rest in its downward movement. The needle passes through a sleeve '5 which retains it in proper position to slide longitudinally on the needle holder. This needle holder has a depending lug 53 on the upper side of which are two curved notches 50 adapted to alternatelyengage the rounded lower projection or flange of the needle bed 10, being held in positionas indicated in Fig.2,by means of a tension spring 6 fastened at one end to the lug 50 and at the 50 to engage the needle plate flange. Each needle is provided with a shank 12 extending above the needle plate in the manner shown in Fig. 2, and the needle is arranged to be operated by the engagement of the shank 12 by cams carried in the lock mounted on the reciprocable carriage to be described. Various types of cams may be provided, but a simple operation is obtained by means or what is called a pick-up or elevating cam 15, indicated in Fig. 2 which operates when the carriage is moved to engage the shank 12 and force the needle upwardly. A wing cam 13, also indicated in Fig. 2, is adapted to engage the shank 12 and force the needle downwardly. This general arrangement of cams and needles is old, but the particular needle holder 4, arranged and operable substantially as shown, is believed to be new. The row of needles and shanks, as assembled, are held in place by means of a gib 11 mounted in the dove-tailed groove 55, Fig. 4. This gib 11 holds the needles in place so that they cannot be swung out of slot 16 until the gib is removed. The hook extension 39 (Fig. 1) is used to readily remove the gib 11. It will be seen that the needles and needle holders are adapted to swing down wardly in the slots 16 to place the shanks 12 out of line with the cams by pressing the end of the needle holders 4 to cause the lug 58 to cam over the needle plate flange and upper notch 50 of the lug to engage the lower flange of the needle plate. The needles are raised into operative position in an analogous manner.

The spring tie plate 7 is removably secured to the bottom of the needle plate 10 and is provided with a depending flange having a series of holes, each one provided to receive one end of a spring 6. With this arrangement, the movement of the needle holder from one position to another by hand or automatically is readily accomplished, and, if it is necessary to repair any one spring, nothing is disturbed except the single spring concerned. The arrangement of the spring holding tie plate 7 with individual removable springs G for the needle holders and means to limit movement of the needle holders, I believe to be new.

The assembly of the cams on the reciprocable carriage is called the lock. The cams comprise the elevating and wing cams. A look plate 14 is provided for the cams, and also an eccentric lever 41 to adjust the cams in proper position and a lever 40 for operating the wing cam for making tubular work. All of this mechanism is well-known in machines of this general character and needs no specific description for an understanding of this invention.

The improved frame and the manner of mounting the carriage which carries the locks, the latch opener, and the yarn guide over the needle bed to operate and feed the needles will now be described.

Extending from each end of the needle bed (Fig. 1) and fastened thereto are frame pieces or brackets 2 and provided in these frame pieces are spaced ways 2d adapted to receive the slides of the reciprocable carriage 23. As shown in Fig. 1, the carriage 23 is suspended over the rows of needles and is supported at all times at four points, namely at two points on the pair of spaced ways extending from one end of the needle bed and at two points on the other pair of spaced ways. extending from the other end of the needle bed. From these supporting points, the carriage is arched or bridged over the needle bed. The bridged part of the carriage, as shown contains the locks as well as the needle latch opener 37 and the yarn guide 35 (see Fig. 7). The yarn guide at each change in direction of the carriage 23 needs to be shiftedwith respect to the latch opener 37 in order that the yarn may be fed to the needles after the latch openers have operated. The needles as they are ele vated move their latches against the yarn of the loops last made whereby these latches are normally opened. The latch openers in some cases open latches not opened by the movement of the needles and in all cases keep the latches open until the yarn is fed to the hooks. The parts for thus governing the latches to keep them open and in some cases to open them are called latch openers. In order to thus shift the yarn guide so that it will always trail the latch opener no matter in which of the two directions the carriage is moving, a friction block is provided having an improved adjustable connecting means between it and the yarn guide.

Referring to Figs. 7 and 9, the friction block is mounted to slide in the T-slot 25. A recess in the bottom of the friction block 26 is adapted to hold a leaf spring 60 under tension so that, as the friction block slides in the way 25, the spring will bear on the bottom of the slot to give a retarding tendency to the block 26. Fastened to the frietion block 26 is a lug 27 adapted to receive one end of the connecting rod 28, the latter being held in place with respect to the lug 27 by nuts, as shown in Fig. 7. This con necting rod 28 is also adapted to pass freely through sleeves 30 and 31 which are mounted in internally threaded lugs 61 on the carriage 23. These stops are identical and only one will be described, which, as shown in Fig. ,8 in perspective, comprises a sleeve having a portion of its exterior surface threaded and the remaining portion hexagonal to receive a wrench. Referring to Fig. 7, the sleeve 30 is screwed into lug 61 and is held in place by the lock nut 29, the connecting rod 28 passing freely through both sleeves 30 and 31. Fastened to the connecting rod 28 is an arm 33 which is suitably shaped to support the yarn guide 35 in position above the needle bed. This arm 33 passes between a slot formed through the arm 32 fastened to the carriage 23, to which the latch opener is fastened, and a bar 36 spaced therefrom as shown. The other half of the latch opener 37 is fastened to the carriage, as indicated in Fig. 1. The two halves are positioned so that one governs the latches of the needles in one row and the other latches of the needles in the other spaced and parallel row. By adjustment of the stops 30 and 31, the yarn guide is properly positioned at the rear end of the latch opener as the latter moves in either direction with and on the carriage. When the latter changes its direction of travel, the friction block 26 holds the connecting rod 28, to which the yarn guide sup porting arm 33 is connected, stationary until one or the other of stops 30 or 31 abuts arm 33 to move it, the rod 28, and friction block 26 with the carriage. Thus, at each reversal of the carriage, the yarn guide remains stationary until the latch opener advances to a position ahead of the guide after which the parts are in proper position to all move together which they do. The arrangement of the yarn guide shifting means is such that the frame is left open and unincumbered and thegneedle holders, needles, etc., are exposed for inspection or manipulation.

The operation of the machine embodying the invention as shown and the advantages thereof will now be briefly described.

The frame is fastened to a table by feet 3, and the yarn is fed on the needles in the usual manner. The crank, comprising sections 19 and 20 with the connecting link 21 pivoted therebetween, is rotated, and the pivotal connection of link 21 with the stud 2-2 of the horn handle reciprocates the can riage in the frame. The latch openers operate on those needles which are moved upwardly by the pick-up cams (working together, alternately or singly according to the setting of the machine), and the yarn guide feeds the yarn successlvely in the open hooksof the needles. The latter after they receive the yarn so fed are successively drawn downwardly by the wing cam, and the loops previously formed close the latches while the yarn is drawn by the needles through said loops thus forming new loops and so on, the operation being repeated to form the desired web.

The operation thus briefly touched upon is not broadly new but is very well known by those skilled in the art so that a more detailed description is unnecessary. It should be particularly noted, however, that, in such an operation involving so many needles and requiring the accurate and sure cooperation of the dependent devices, an improved balancing, positiOning, and relative arrangefat ment of the'necessary parts is of prime importance to proper quality and speed for the product desired. This is particularly true when account is taken of the important operation of fashioning the knitted web. This operation involves the setting of the needles. (as previously described), into or out of operable position and the manipulation of the loops formed on and supported by the needles to widen, narrow, split, or otherwise fashion the knitted web to avoid the extremely undesirable operation of cutting the web after it is knitted. Therefore,it will be seen that the extent to which I haveopened up the frame, exposed the vital parts assembled on the needle bed, mounted the locks on a long skeleton carriage properly supported on the frame extensions, and bridged or suspended over the needle plates *ithout complications in the desired operations and at the same time improved the details in the construction and operatio-nof'the macl ine, is of considerable importance. 7 7

With a machine embodying my invention,

the needles and associated needle holders,

whether manipulated by hand including a jacquard mechanism or by power with or without such mechanism'to fashion the web, are exposed in the open frame more'freely than heretofore for such manipulation. At the same time, by my arrangement, repairs, replacements, etc., can more readily be made. The carriage supported rigidly at both ends and at all times will carry the locks and f yarn back and forth across the needle bed either by hand or power in a steady andcer- ,tain manner not heretofore obtained in machines of this class.

While I have described a specific machine embodying the features of my invention, I

Copies of this patent may be obtained for do not desire to limit its scope to the exact construction shown for the proper scope of the invention is more accurately defined in the annexed claims.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A knitting machine of. the class described, comprising, a carriage supporting frame divided or open through the center thereof and in which open center mounted the needle bed and associated parts, including knitting needles having upwardly extending shanks, a skeleton carriage with one end supported at all times on one part of the frame and the other end supported at all times on the other part of the frame, and cams mounted on said carriage arranged to operate said needles by engaging the shanks, all constructed and arranged so that the carriage is rigidly supported at its four corners for reciprocable movement on the divided frame and is suspended over the needle bed to form a steady support for the cams movable thereover to operate the neodles.

2. In a knitting machine of the class described, a needle plate having a longitudinal slot along its upper edge and a rounded flange along its lower edge, a tie plate, needle holders, each one provided with an eyelet to register with the aforesaid slot and a depending lug having two rounded notches adapted to successively engage said rounded flange, individual tension springs connected with the tie-plate and lugs, to pull the latter against said flange, and a wire or rod in said slot passing through said eyelets, all for the purpose described.

CHARLES H; USHER, lVitnesses:

HARRY W. BOWEN, H. E. HARTWELL.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patent, Washington, D. 0. 

